Unlike Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), DC Extended Universe (DCEU) or the Worlds of DC as they like to call them, had a rocky start. Barring Wonder Woman, none of their film could impress critics and audiences alike. In fact, their big superhero team-up Justice League turned out to be their biggest dud.

But, finally, the DECU gets a win. The Jason Momoa starrer is a blast, both literally and figuratively. Although, a DCEU movie without a number of flaws won’t sound right but even with them, director James Wan’s Aquaman is a film that is meant to give a good time to the movie-going audience. For me, the positives outweigh the negatives, with strong performances, captivating action set pieces, and a ballsy background score and soundtrack. But above all, is the visual effects. This movie is a CGI carnival if you enjoy visual effects.

For instance, James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) wasn’t a great film with a compelling script or fantastic dialogues, but what won audiences over and made it the biggest box-office success story in the world was its never-seen-before visual effects. I promise you there are effects in Aquaman, that you have never seen before, not even in a Marvel movie. And that includes films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 and 2, Thor Ragnarok, even DCEU’s Batman V. Superman.

Jason Momoa was undoubtedly the perfect choice for playing Aquaman. His wit, charm and candor bowls you over every time you see him on the big screen. In other words, he literally carried the film on his shoulders, as much as he could. I genuinely thought Amber Heard will be there just as an eye candy in the film, but her character Meera is quite the badass. And while the story revolves around Aurther Curry aka Aquaman, the heart of it is a love story between Arthur’s dad played by Temuera Morrison and his mother, queen of Atlantis, played by Nicole Kidman.

In addition to Momoa, Kidman is another actor who just shines in every scene she is in. Add to that, she has a couple of breath-taking action sequences. Another honourable mention is of course Dolph Lundgren, who plays Nereus, the king of the Atlantean tribe of Xebel and Mera’s father. Our favourite Ivan Drago has no parallel when it comes to on-screen charisma.

But Aquaman is not without its flaws, and there are quite a few. To begin with, the DCEU still hasn’t cracked a good villain since Zod in Man of Steel. While King Oram or the Ocean Master (played by Patrick Wilson) isn’t as bad as the flimsy Lex Luthor from BvS or the wobbly witch from Suicide Squad or even the Harry Potter version of Ares in Wonder Woman, but he too is just another mustache-twirling bad guy.

Add to that, Black Manta played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been misused by the makers and over-acted to the core by the performer. The writing in the film is no better. None of the characters are developed well, not even Aquaman. The dialogues are too cheesy, the humour doesn’t land a lot of times and above all, this movie is a drag. I tell you now, cut away 20-25 minutes from this movie and it becomes as good as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman.

There are also continuity issues in this movie and most character a number of times in their respective scenes do things completely out of character. In other parts of the movie, the director thinks his audience is too smart and doesn’t explain essential subplots. He probably thought we would figure it out on our own.

All in all, Aquaman is truly a visual delight like never-seen-before. It is lighthearted, fun and an adventure that can only be experienced and enjoyed in a movie theatre. Trust me, this film will seem a lot worse if you watch it on your TV. It is made for the big-screen and worth going to the theatre because it is a spectacle.